Real Gone
by Agent in Lilac
Summary: They fell for eachother from the start, but each keeps a dangerous secret that completely changes their lives. Jemma
1. Prologue: This is My Life

**Real Gone**

Prologue

I do not own Degrassi or any characters.

Emma Nelson stood on the flat roof of Red Brick Apartments. It was her shelter, her hiding place for when she wanted to escape or be alone. She glanced around; smaller shops and apartments stretched on for miles, and Emma loved looking at the view from her outdoor roof. It wasn't the safest part of town, fully of scary crimes and gangs, but Emma loved it nonetheless. Not many people knew about her roof; the apartment building had a ladder in the attic which led to a small trapdoor. Emma discovered this when she first moved to Toronto with her harsh father, Charlie, and soon made it a place of her own, complete with blankets, chairs, and even a tent, for nights where living at home where especially unbearable…

"Emma!" cried Manny Santos. Emma jumped; she was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard her best friend enter through the trapdoor. "Can you come with us tonight to that new club, Smash? It's the perfect way to relax after a long week of school." Her face was full of excitement as she tugged on her dark bangs.

"You've been going down to Smash for the last three weeks. Are you meeting guys there?" Emma asked her excited friend.

Manny looked at her sheepishly. "Well, Ellie and Paige are going too…"

"You didn't answer my question," Emma stated teasingly. "What new boys are you meeting tonight?"

Manny perked up. "Nobody new! Remember Sean? I told you about when I met him; we've been hanging out… you should've come, Emma! He's so cute and he has these two other friends, Spinner and Craig, who immediately bonded with Paige and Ellie. It's perfect! You should have come to Smash with us these last three weeks. We could find someone for you too!"

Emma smiled sadly, "Manny, you know Charlie doesn't like it when I go out too much. He can get really mad." Manny looked at her disappointedly. "Well," Emma continued. "It's Friday. Charlie always meets his friends out at his warehouse on weekends."

"Is that a yes then?" Manny asked. She always loved it when Emma's dad stayed out; it meant Emma had way more freedom.

"It's a yes," Emma answered. Manny squealed and headed home.

Emma looked out at the sunset before heading down to get ready. _This is my life_, she realized. Sometimes it seemed like she was only existing instead of really living it. _This is my life._

Jay Hogart sat on his worn-out couch, waiting for his friends in his tiny apartment. It wasn't too snazzy but it was a place to call home. Jay never stayed at home too much anyway; it just served as a convenient place for him, Sean, Spinner, or Craig to crash after busy days on the streets. He was waiting for them, and they were running late again, as usual. He sighed; sometimes he wished his life could be more carefree, but he knew that could never happen. After dropping out of high school, he realized that being a leader meant that he always had to be alert and careful.

Jay heard his door open and saw Sean, Spinner, and Craig. They had been talking nonstop for the past three weeks about these three girls they had met at Smash, um, Manny, Paige, and Ellie, he thought. Sure enough, they had planned to meet their girls there, yet again, tonight.

"Jay man! Why the long face?" asked Spinner.

"Nothing much, just thinking about a new scheme for next week," Jay replied.

"Come on man – it's Friday! It's time to meet chicks. You know they love you. What are you waiting for?" exclaimed Craig. He was really excited to see Ellie again tonight.

"Well there's a lot of planning to do and…" Jay thought for a minute. "You're right. It's Friday night and it's time to have some fun."

Sean, Spinner, and Craig paused for a minute. Usually they had to drag Jay to Smash; they had fun, but Jay always made fun of the shallow girls who threw themselves at him. He'd have a quick fling, but end it before it got serious or they got close. Spinner and Craig left Jay's apartment but Sean lingered to talk with his best friend.

"Look Jay. I know you're under a lot of pressure, but you deserve to have some fun tonight. Go out, dance with some whores I know you won't like, and get back to being serious tomorrow." Sean advised, knowing what his best friend was thinking. "Think about it. We'll meet you at 9:00." Jay nodded, and Sean stepped out of the apartment to meet up with Craig and Spinner.

Jay scratched the falcon tattoo on his left bicep, a nervous habit he developed years ago. You see, when you're the leader of the most notorious gang in Toronto, the Falcons, you had to be ready for anything, at any time. You never knew when something, or someone, would catch you off your guard…


	2. Chapter 1: Electricity

**Real Gone**

Chapter One: Electricity

I do not own Degrassi or its characters!

Thanks SO much for the reviews! I love them and they definitely keep me motivated to put up these chapters faster-- thanks again!

Chapter One:

Smash was the newest underground club in downtown Toronto. Only the special few knew about its discreet location, which made going there especially exciting. It was set up just like a normal club, but prided on going above and beyond by adding funkier music, famous and local DJs, and curtained off rooms for large groups of friends, each containing numerous couches and floor pillows.

This was where Jay, Sean, Spinner, and Craig lounged while they waiting for the girls to show up. Smash was crowded, as usual, and Jay enjoyed watching over the scene through the filmy curtains. He laughed to himself at how excited Sean, Spinner, and Craig were; antsy but still trying to play it cool. They had never been so eager to meet a group of girls_; figures that these chicks were all friends too_, Jay thought to himself.

A group of four girls entered the club, and Jay chucked in amusement as the numerous guys craned their necks to glimpse them, while their annoyed dates tried to regain the boys' attention. Clearly, these were the girls the rest of the Falcons had been talking about. They appeared as different as night and day. A sassy-looking brunette led the pack, wearing a purple tank and a skirt that seemed a little _too_ short. Right behind her followed a girl with sandy-blonde hair; she glanced around the room and had an air of being in change. A cool redhead strolled behind them, drumming on her legs and rolling her eyes at the first two girls, who appeared to be bickering over where to go. To Jay's surprise, he noticed a fourth girl following the other three. She stepped out of the shadows and Jay stared, transfixed by her beauty. She had long, wavy tresses of golden hair, her slight tan emphasized by her sage-green jersey halter dress. Jay noticed her gleaming brown eyes and her legs, which seemed miles long, thanks to the length of the dress and black high heels. He smirked as she brushed off a girly-looking blonde boy, who apparently had just tried to hit on her. Jay's spell was broken by the rest of the Falcons waving frantically. One of the girls, the brunette, caught eyes with Sean and led the troupe over to the curtained room.

As each of the girls entered the room, they took a seat next to their dates. The last blonde girl looked around and took the last available seat, on the tiny futon, right next to Jay.

"Hey Sean," said the brunette. She glanced at Jay. "You must be Jay, right?" Jay nodded, and she continued. "Well, I'm Manny, that girl next to Spin is Paige, and Ellie's the one next to Craig. Oh, and the girl you're sitting beside is Emma." She glanced to the rest of the guys, "You all haven't met her, right?"

"Nope," Craig continued. "Emma, I'm Craig, that's Sean, that's Spinner, and that's Jay who you're sitting next to."

Emma glanced at the guy next to her and took note of his messy light-brown hair, his piercing blue eyes, and his smile, which he flashed to her after being introduced. He was wearing jeans, sneakers, a black tee shirt and a black hat worn backwards. She quickly glimpsed the bottom of a tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve and was immediately intrigued. Emma blushed slightly; she was sitting next to the most attractive boy she had ever met.

Ellie, Craig, Spinner, and Paige all left to get drinks while Manny and Sean started to flirt outrageously. Emma leaned over to Jay and whispered in his ear, "I don't know—I'm thinking set-up."

Jay grinned after seeing Manny and Sean trying to be sneaky watching them, then stopping as they continued to cuddle on their floor pillows. "Nah," Jay joked. "Maybe it's just a coincidence that they both brought friends on the same night."

They smiled at each other as brown eyes met blue and paused as they felt the strong connection. Emma and Jay were confused; they had never felt anything like that before.

The tension was broken when Craig, Spinner, Ellie, and Paige returned with the drinks. Everyone laughed as Spinner told a random joke and Paige enlightened the group with hilarious stories of Degrassi's horrible, desperate Heather Sinclair. The conversation flowed easily, and it was clear that these two completely different groups of people meshed well together.

After an hour of talking and hanging out, Paige perked up after hearing the track the DJ just put on. "This is my favorite song!" she squealed.

Spinner smiled at her dopily; sometimes it took him a while to understand Paige's hints. "That's great honeybee," he said. Paige just stared at him, and her silent request dawned on him. "Oh! Um, do you want to dance?" he asked sheepishly.

Paige nodded and led Spinner to the crowded dance floor. Manny and Sean quickly followed them, as Craig and Ellie nodded, also sauntering to join the rest of the group.

Jay looked at Emma, "I have two left feet, but do you want to dance?" he asked willingly.

"I'd love to," she replied. She stood up and grabbed the hand Jay was extending out to her. As soon as she held on, they both felt it. Electricity. It was new and exhilarating at the same time.

Jay led Emma to the dance floor, in sight of the rest of the group, but far away enough to have their own space. They danced in complete sync, dancing faster and faster as the music sped up. Neither Jay nor Emma felt tired; this raw electricity kept them energized and excited.

Suddenly, the DJ pulled a curveball and put on a slower song. Jay shrugged his head toward the other couples, and Emma laughed; they were all too busy making out to dance.

Jay smiled; he already loved Emma's laugh. Emma slung her arms over Jay's shoulders, and Jay wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, pulling her right next to him. Jay looked down, loving the vanilla scent of her hair. Emma laid her head against his chest and realized how perfectly she fit against his body. As they swayed, they could feel the other's heartbeat, further connecting them and fueling the electricity.

Emma looked up at him, "I don't know what you were talking about with having two left feet. You're a pretty smooth dancer Jay," she said flirtatiously.

"You're not too bad yourself Miss…" he continued.

"Nelson," Emma replied.

"Nelson. Emma Nelson," Jay whispered. He liked the way it sounded rolling off his tongue.

"What about you? Do you have a last name, or are you going to continue being Mr. Mysterious," Emma teased.

"Jay Hogart," he answered. "Actually, Jay Hogart here wasn't sure about coming tonight, but I'm glad I did, or I wouldn't have met you," he murmured.

Emma blushed again. "I'm glad I met you too," she whispered. Emma looked up into his blue eyes and did something she characteristically didn't do; she kissed him right then and there. Jay was happily surprised and deepened the kiss; they were both lost in that kiss, not caring about their worries and problems and just enjoyed living in that magical moment.


	3. Chapter 2: Pistols and Ashes

**Real Gone**

**Chapter Two**

"**Pistols and Ashes"**

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Jay smiled as he sleepily rolled over in his bed. He squinted his eyes as he adjusted to the morning light, feeling happy and dazed from meeting Emma last night. On one hand, he couldn't believe that he had kissed her after knowing her for only one day; but on the other hand, he couldn't deny that electricity between them.

He laid there for a while, remembering meeting her, dancing, and finally having to say goodbye before leaving Smash. He wondered when he could see her again…

Jay slowly sat up and glanced around his tiny bedroom. His sleepy smile faded as reminders of his life as a Falcon dawned on him: his planning files, falcon tattoo, his pistol that had once belonged to his father…

These brought back memories of why the gang dominated his life. Jay owed it to his father and knew he had to put the Falcons in front of Emma.

Jack gingerly picked up the shiny silver pistol. He carried it everywhere with him; as a gang leader, he knew he could never be without it. That way, he knew he was safe and had a little piece of his dad with him at all times. After all, that pistol was all Jay had left of him…

_Fifteen-year-old Jay Hogart sat in the apartment kitchen with his dad, Clark Hogart, admiring his tattoo he had gotten the day before. _

"_Looks good there sport," Clark said. "Now you can officially say you're a Falcon."_

_Jay smiled proudly; he had always idolized his father and wanted to follow in his footsteps._

"_You know," Clark continued. "If anything ever happens to me, I want you to lead the Falcons." His blue eyes twinkled as he saw his son's shocked reaction._

"_Lead the Falcons?" Jay asked. "Don't you want Jeff or Dan or Tracker or…" His voice trailed off as he wondered why his dad chose him over his own best friends and fellow gang members._

"_I'm not going to lie to you. Times have been tough. The Scorpions have been finding out our schemes and with Ryan's murder last week… Jay, I think someone's a traitor," Clark stated._

_Jay narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, a traitor?" he angrily asked._

_Clark sighed; he knew this was tough for Jay to handle. "When I took over the gang, I wasn't too careful about who I recruited. Think of it as a lesson for when you're in charge-- choose a couple men that you completely trust with your life."_

_Jay nodded seriously; he was trying to absorb all that he could before he could officially lead the Falcons when he was eighteen._

_Those were the calmer days of their relationship. Clark knew his dangerous life couldn't be easy on Jay and tried as hard as he could to make it up to him. Unfortunately, it was impossible to completely protect Jay from the dangers of gang life… _

_Two weeks later:_

_Jay sat quietly at his dad's funeral. Bitter tears streamed down his face as he watched Clark's dead body lowered into the ground._

_He glanced around the graveyard. Where were the rest of the Falcons? Where were all the friends and family his father had known throughout his life?_

_The rest of the Falcons were gone-- they fled Toronto in fear that they would be killed next._

_The Scorpions were also gone-- they left soon after police began investigating the murder._

"_Cowards," he thought angrily. "Stupid cowards"_

_He glanced down at his Falcon tattoo, realizing that he would have to start from scratch. He would rebuild the gang and make it strong. One day… one day Jay knew he would take revenge for his dad…_

Now here he was, the leader of Toronto's strongest gang.

He had been friends with Sean, Craig, and Spinner for years and asked them a couple months after Clark's death if they'd join the Falcons. They all quickly agreed were now closer than brothers.

The police investigation never went far; both gangs knew better than to leave clues of their lives for cops to find. Nonetheless, Jay had not seen any signs of the Scorpions since the day they killed his father.

Jay stood up, grabbed Clark's old pistol, and headed out the door for a new day. He knew it was best if Emma stayed safe by not getting involved with her…

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Meanwhile…

Emma Nelson stared at herself in her dresser mirror, taking in everything, from the remnants of last night's mascara to the new bruise on her cheek, courtesy of her father, Charlie. She ran her fingers over it gingerly, wincing as the pain set in.

She didn't know why she still reacted after Charlie hit her; she should have been used to it after all these years. Her mom had died when she was five, and the abuse began shortly afterwards.

Fortunately, Emma could take better care of herself now. She had a car, so she could get out of the house when Charlie stayed out for late with his friends, Dean, Matt, and Johnny. She had learned not to stand up to Charlie, for the kicks and punches would only get worse. She learned not to cry until she was safe, alone in her room.

Emma's thoughts were interrupted by her ringing cell phone. One glance at the caller ID told her it was Manny, and Emma smiled. She had just moved back to Toronto a few months ago, but already felt as close with Manny, Paige, and Ellie as she had before she moved away from Toronto many years before. It was tough adjusting to a new apartment and new school, so Emma was glad she was back in Toronto, her true home with her true friends.

She glanced in the mirror once last time before heading off to school. She quickly applied the usual concealer over the bruise and threw a purple jacket on over her white tank top. She paused for a minute, staring straight at the broken girl reflected back to her. Charlie's messages of how worthless and horrible she was played in her head as she thought to herself, _"How could I think Jay saw something in me?"_

Emma sighed as she headed out to door to pick up her friends and head to Degrassi for another day of their senior year.


	4. Chapter 4: Doubts and Chances

**Real Gone**

**Chapter Four**

"**Doubts and Chances"**

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**I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters**

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"Seriously man, she is so amazing. I can't get over it!"

Jay sighed. He had just spent two and a half hours repairing Sean's car to make it go faster, and Sean had spent the entire time talking about that Manny girl. Apparently, after last night at Smash, they were "official," and Sean was ecstatic.

"I talked to Craig and Spinner too I guess they're with Ellie and Paige now," Sean added.

Jay's ears perked up, though he was not surprised. Craig and Spinner were always finding girls; really, it was Sean who Jay was surprised about. The two of them had always been more for flings than steady girlfriends, so this Manny must be something to get the noncommittal Sean to change his mind.

"Well, good for them," Jay noted. He was happy for his friends.

"Yeah, everyone seemed to really hit it off," Sean continued. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Jay, "Especially you and Emma."

Jay froze. _Emma_. Memories of last night flashed through his mind: first seeing Emma from across the club, watching her laugh, kissing, that _electricity_…

Sean cleared his throat, and Jay looked up, for once flustered.

Sean gave him a little smirk, "That's what I thought," he concluded.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jay defensively.

"You and Emma," Sean said. "You're actually into a girl for more than a hookup. Emma."

Jay looked down and glanced at his father's pistol on the inside of his jacket, remembering what he had told himself that morning. "I can't, man." He nodded to the gun. "I have more important things I have to focus on; I can't get involved with Emma and have her get hurt. I just can't- besides, it was just the heat of the moment. It wasn't anything, really!" Jay sped up as he talked, trying to convince himself that this was true.

Sean rolled his eyes; let Jay believe what he wanted to believe; Sean wasn't convinced.

A loud ringing shattered the intense moment, and Sean picked up his beeping phone. He grinned before mouthing _"It's Manny"_ to Jay. Jay shrugged and went over to grab his stuff from the office.

He heard Sean talking quickly to Manny and focused instead on drumming his fingers on the table. After a couple minutes, the murmurs in the other room stopped and Sean popped his head in the tiny room.

"Hey man, I know I'm taking us home, but can we pick up Manny from school first? She needs a ride home," he explained. Jay nodded, knowing that Sean planned to pick her up no matter what his answer was. Sean smiled widely and grabbed his keys. The two boys jumped in Sean's red car and zoomed off toward Degrassi High.

--

--

Emma Nelson stood at her tidy locker, grabbing the various books that she needed for homework that night. She had everything she needed in her black backpack, but she kept going through her things over and over again. She knew that if she forgot a homework assignment, the reaction from Charlie would be less than pleasant.

She unnecessarily ruffled through a purple folder and quietly sighed when she heard Manny come up behind her. Apparently, things had gone really well between Sean and Manny last night, and Manny had been gushing all day about how they were now "official." Emma was happy for her best friend, but hours and hours of "Sean this" and "Sean that" got old. Fast.

"Emma!" Manny squealed. "I talked to Sean and he's giving both of us a ride home." Her eyes were bright with excitement.

Emma smiled in relief, "That's great- now we don't have to worry about my car until tomorrow."

The girls shared a comforted look; Emma's car had died that morning and they had to leave it on the side of a road and walk the rest of the way to school. Now, at least, they could save themselves the long walk home.

Manny nodded, "I just got off the phone with him and he should be here soon. Are you all ready?" she asked.

Emma checked her backpack one more time and quickly glanced in her locker mirror. Her concealer was still holding up and the bruises were barely noticeable. She slammed her locker shut and headed outside with Manny to wait for Sean. They found a wooden bench to sit out outside of the school and relaxed until a shiny red car pulled up. Manny beamed and darted towards Sean, who was waving from the driver's seat. Emma laughed to herself and followed her friend with a leisurely pace. When she reached the car, Manny had already hopped into the passenger seat. Emma let herself into the back seat, surprised at who she found sitting there…

--

Jay glanced up, surprised at the person sliding into the backseat with him. It was Emma. Her face was slightly flushed and stunned that he was there. He smiled at her; his memory had not done her beauty justice. Her blonde hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and her jeans and t-shirt fit her perfectly- classy without being trashy.

"Hey," she said quietly to him.

"Hey," he replied back.

She scooted in the rest of the way and buckled her seatbelt. She put her backpack down and slid over to make room for it, making her and Jay's knees bump for a second. Both of them held their breath as they felt it. _That electricity._ Emma's eyes widened and Jay stared down at where their knees had touched.

"Okay- we turn left out of here," Manny instructed to Sean loudly. Her comment broke up the intensity of the moment and Jay panicked; he remembered that it was better to avoid Emma and slid over on the seat as far away as he could from Emma.

He turned his head to look out of the window and occasionally snuck peaks at Emma through his peripheral vision. At first, she looked hurt, but then her expression became… unsurprised? Jay looked back out the window; it made it easier to ignore the obvious chemistry between him and Emma.

Both of them stayed quiet in the back row of seats, listening to Manny and Sean's flirtatious banter. All of the sudden, Manny squealed. "The car!" she exclaimed. Emma's head shot up and she stared out of the window. Jay's eyes followed her line of eyesight, spotting a small gray sedan on the side of the road.

"Oh, is this what you were telling me about earlier?" Sean asked Manny.

She nodded. "Yep. It's Emma's and it broke down on the way to school," she explained.

Sean bit his lip, "You guys didn't get rides from someone you don't know, did you?" he asked protectively.

Manny rubbed his arm and smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry big guy, we walked."

"Armstrong wasn't happy when we showed up to class twenty minutes late," Emma added in cheerfully. She and Manny laughed, remembering the angry look on their teacher's face.

Sean chuckled. "Do you need me to pull over?" he asked.

Emma shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. I'm going to have to call a mechanic in the morning- hopefully someone who can work under the counter. Charlie won't be too thrilled about this." She visibly paled at his name. "Oh God, Charlie won't like this at all," she whispered. Her hand started to slightly shake, although Jay seemed to be the only one who noticed her reaction.

The car was quiet for a few moments when Jay spoke up, turning to look at Emma. "I can fix it," he offered. "I'm pretty good with cars and we can keep it quiet."

Emma looked at him in surprise and Sean smiled jovially. "Man, that's perfect. Why didn't I think of that?" he said. He looked back at Emma and explained. "Cars are Jay's thing. He's brilliant. Just finished up my baby today," he elaborated.

Sean's enthusiasm alleviated any of Emma's doubts. She nodded to Jay and his heart started beating faster for some odd reason. Suddenly, Sean pulled up to a brick apartment building and Emma got out of the car. She waved bye to everyone and walked reluctantly into the building.

Sean glanced at Jay in the rearview mirror as they pulled away and Jay averted his eyes, not knowing why he felt so excited at spending more with Emma tomorrow.


	5. Ch 5: Unreasonable Logic

**Real Gone**

**Chapter Five**

**"Unreasonable Logic"**

**By Agent in Lilac**

I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters.

* * *

Jay Hogart cautiously drove his car down the street, slowly coming into view of the familiar red brick apartment building. More specifically, the apartment building where Emma lived.

It was two days later, and Jay was picking her up so they could work on her car. He parked next to the grungy sidewalk and got out to walk up to the door. He was almost there when it opened abruptly, revealing a slightly flustered Emma. Neither of them noticed the other in time, and they smacked right into each other. Jay cursed under his breath and Emma stumbled and fell to the ground.

Jay reached out a hand to her. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

She grasped his hand and he helped pull her up, momentarily distracted by that electricity again. Once she was on her feet, she looked at Jay and replied, "I'm good, thanks for helping me up." Her voice was confident but Jay noticed that a pink blush still colored her cheeks.

They walked silently toward Jay's waiting orange Civic, each unsure of what to say. Jay opened the door for Emma and she slid into the passenger seat, surprised by his chivalry. Jay walked over to his side of the car and, starting the engine, pulled out into the street.

Emma looked over at Jay uncertainly. "Thanks so much for this. You have no idea how much this helps me," she said earnestly.

Jay glanced at Emma and shrugged. "Hey, it's no big deal," he stated.

"No, seriously," Emma exclaimed. "If you hadn't offered to help, I don't know what I would have done!"

Jay smiled, "Don't worry about it. I like working on cars, so you're actually doing me a favor." What he didn't add was that he didn't really know why he was there in the first place. When he saw Emma's distress, he agreed to help her without even thinking about the consequences. Obviously there was some natural chemistry between the two of them, but Jay realized he needed to keep his guard up. For Emma's sake. And his own, in a way.

Logically, this made sense to Jay. He was the leader of the Falcons, for God's sake! It was a dangerous life and he couldn't risk dragging Emma into it. Besides, he had never been seriously involved with a girl before, so why should he start now?

"Take a right up here," Emma directed, pulling Jay out of his conflicting thoughts. He steered right and eventually reached her small gray sedan on the side of the road. Jay parked next to it and he and Emma got out of the Civic to investigate.

On the outside, the car appeared perfectly fine. Jay circled around it slowly, his trained eye on the lookout for any details that didn't seem in place. Emma followed behind him, also observing the car but without any idea of what to look for. Finally, Jay stepped forward and popped the hood, revealing a steaming engine.

"Yeah this baby's busted," he concluded.

Emma stood beside him and sighed. "That's what I was worried about. What all will it take to fix it?" she asked.

Jay furrowed his brow and peered into the engine. Emma couldn't help but notice how attractive he looked when he was concentrating. "I'll probably have to get a whole new engine. It'd be cheaper to do that than to fix this one," he concluded.

Emma nodded and thought for a moment. "I see… how much will I owe you then?"

Jay inspected the damage. He knew replacing Emma's engine would cost around $2000, and guessing by her worried expression, that was something that she couldn't afford. Jay wasn't the type to offer his services for free, but he found himself wanting to fix her anxious expression. Before he even knew what he was doing, he found himself telling her, "Don't worry, I can cover it for you."

Emma glanced at him, surprised. "Jay, I don't know anything about cars but I know that has to be expensive. There has to be something I can do," she offered.

Jay looked at the gorgeous blonde in front of him and laughed. "How about I'll cover you this time, but if I need a favor in the future, you can help me out?"

Emma's surprise transformed into graciousness and a huge smile. She gave Jay a hug and her happiness made Jay happy too. He knew the logical side of him would regret this later, but for now he let himself enjoy making Emma smile.

* * *

On the other side of town, in a dimly lit room, a group of hard-looking men were meeting.

"I know it's been awhile since we've all been here," explained a tall dark-haired man. "But I think we can all agree we've been in hiding long enough."

A wave of approval went around the room and the tall man continued. "Clark Hogart has been dead for years and the case has been abandoned by the police. We know the Falcons are back but we need to figure out who they are and how to destroy them. With us gone, they've had the run of the city, but we need to let them know who's in charge now."

"But how will we find them?" asked a muscular man.

"Hogart left behind a son. We need to find him and learn whatever we can before we strike," answered the tall man.

The men laughed menacingly, ready for the challenge. They looked to the tall man for more instructions.

The leader of the Scorpions gave them one simple task: "Find Jay Hogart, as soon as possible."


End file.
